Pak polls, a step towards civilian democracy: US

Washington, Feb 19 : The United States has said that the parliamentary election in Pakistan should be seen as an important step towards introducing civilian democracy in that country.

"We are pleased that elections have been conducted in Pakistan. It is an important step in the path towards an elected civilian democracy that reflects the choices of the Pakistani people," Daily Times quoted Nicole Thompson, a State Department spokesperson as a saying.

"We and others in the international community have stressed the importance of having a free, fair and transparent election process," she added.

The elections are being monitored by several international and independent Pakistani missions.

"We will wait for the final election result and the chance to review the monitoring groups' reports before commenting further on the process," a senior official added.